Fastener for bathtub legs



E. A. HIBLER ET AL FASTENER FOR BATHTUB LEGS Filed May 25, 1923 Patented July 8, 1924.

UNETED STATES EDWIN A. HIBLER AND LEONARD BROWN, OF UNIONTOVJN, PENNSYLVANIA.

FASTENER FOR BATHTUB LEGS.

Application filed May 25,

Z '0 (0 10 how, it may concern Be it known that we, EDWIN A. I-IIBLER and LEONARD BROWN, citizens of the United States, and residents of Uniontown, Fa yette County, tate of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fasteners for Bathtub Legs, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to a demountable support, more specifically to a readily replaceable leg for supporting a bath tub or a similar metallic article. The invention further relates to a securing means for looking a casting in the form of a supporting leg in position secured to another casting constituting the supported article through the agency of a screw mechanism.

Referring to the accompanying drawing,

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view taken vertically through a preferred embodiment of the invention shown in connection with the securing of one of the legs to a bath tub.

Figures 2 and 3 are each transverse sectional views taken respectively on the lines 22 and 38 of Figure 1 looking in the directions indicated by the arrows.

In the drawing there is shown a portion of a bath tub of conventional design and which includes a substantially fiat bottom portion 10 rounding into a curved side portion 11. The bottom portion 10, adjacent the point where it merges into the curve 11, is provided with a pair of integrally formed and transversely spaced apart depending lugs 12 and 13. The space between the lugs forms a dove-tail tenon receiving recess 14, the outer end 15 being of relatively greater width than the inner end 16. The portion of the underside of the bottom 10 between the lugs 12 and 13 provides a trans versely extending bolt receiving recess 17, the bottom 18 of which is inclined outwardly and slightly downwardly from a horizontal plane to form a wedging surface 19, as more particularly shown in Figure 1.

The leg is provided with a curved upstanding front portion 20, the upper edge of which is curved from side to side to provide a bearing flange 21, conforming in configuration to the contour of the portion of the tub designed to be engaged thereby. The leg includes a substantially horizontally disposed tenon 22 projecting integrally from the front wall 20 and reduced in width when viewed in plan from the said wall 20 1923. Serial No. 641,303.

to the free end 23 as shown in Figure 8. \Vhen viewed in cross section, as shown in Figure 2, the tenon is trapezoidal with downwardly converging sides so as to provide a wedging engagement with and overlapping the inner undercut faces 2st of the lugs 12 and 13.

The portion of the tenon 22 which is designed to extend beneath the wedging surface 19 is provided with a vertically positioned, smooth bored tube 25. understood that this tube in inserted in the mold prior to the pouring of the casting and is secured in place incidental to the casting of the tenon. In this way a bolt receiving hole is formed in the ten-on without necessity for machining the same'and without necessity for providing means, other than the casting itself, for securing the tube in place. The end of the tube which faces the bottom of the tub is upset and flared outwardly to provide a relatively extensive nut receiving seat 26.

The upper side of the tenon facing the tub is provided with a longitudinally extending recess 27 opened at its rear end 28 and having a width, considered transversely as shown in Figure 2, of a size to accommodate a square or other form of non-circular nut 29. It will be understood from this showing that the several recesses are exposed so as to facilitate the practicing of conventional casting operations.

A stove bolt 30 is passed loosely from the underside of the tenon through the tube 25 and through and in threaded engagement with. the nut 29. The bolt is provided 011 its lower end with a head 31 which may be engaged by a suitable form of screw-driver and turned to bring its opposite end 32 into bearing engagement with the inclined surface 19.

In operation and assuming that the castings are formed as above outlined, and that the nut and bolt are removed, the tenon is moved horizontally into position between the lugs in the direction indicated by the arrow in Figure 2 and until the flange 21 engages firmly against the curved side of the tub. The nut separated from the bolt, is then inserted into the recess 27 through its open end 28 until the bore of the nut is aligned with the bore of the tube 25. The recess 27 may be designed to provide a stop for locating the nut in position. The bolt is then inserted upwardly through the tube from the underside of the tenon, is threaded through It will be the located nut and tightened into engagement with the underside of the tub. It will be understood that the sides of the recess 27 act to hold the nut against rotary movement and that, after the bolt engages against the underside of the tub, any continued rotation of the bolt will react upon the nut to force the same into firm binding engagement either against the upper end of the tube 25, or in direct bearing engagement against the upper side of the tenon in those situations Where the tube seat is omitted. In either case pres sure will be exerted on the tenon which will tend to force the same downwardly into firm bindingcand wedging engagement With the undercut faces of the lugs. The inserted tube acts to distribute strains from the nut over a material portion of the tenon and in this way eliminates the necessity of using any material particularly for the purpose of resisting breaking strains on the tenon.

Having thus described our invention, we claim:

In a device of the class described, the combination with a bath tub having a pair of spaced apart undercut lugs depending from the underside thereof, a supporting leg provided with a tenon projecting horizontally therefrom and adapted to fit between the pair of lugs and between the legs and the tub with a dovetail tenon connection therebetween, the upper side of the tenon facing the tub provided with an easily accessible non-circular recess, a tube extending vertically through the tenon and opening at its upper end into the recess, the upper end of the tube being constructed and arranged to provide a nut seat, of a readily replaceable attachment comprising a nut loosely contained in the recess in bez'tring engagement with the nut seat and held by the sides of the recess from rotary movement and in bearing engagement with the upper end of the tube, and a bolt extending through the tube and otherwise independent of the same, accessible from the underside of the tenon, threaded through the nut and adapted to be screwed into bearing engagement With the underside of the tub to force the nut against the upper side of the tenon and thus force the tenon into engagement with the lugs thereby to lock the leg to the tub.

This specification signed this 18th day of May, 1923.

EDlVIN A. HIBL ER. LEONARD BROWN. 

